Thought up something that might be a fun bounty for this month. (Someone keeps telling me that player-designed content is the future, so I'm going to let them prove it.) I'll give it until the end of May to close entries. I'm interested in finding ways to expand the options for metals in the game, particularly though welding recipes. I've got a list of things I'm looking for. Anyone providing any answer that I take will get a prize pack. Said prize pack is still to be determined, and will be made up mostly of a collection of things invented here, so I can't name them ahead of time.

1) A name for the skill or process whereby an Elemental hero might chemically or otherwise alter a base metal to make an improved metal. The elemental version might tend to focus on manipulation at the molecular level, or by applying massive amounts of heat.

2) A name for the skill or process where a Gadgeteer might do the same thing. Note that the gadgeteer version may be applied to some other non-metal processes, such as a means to upgrade caffeine, say. The gadgeteer version should be assumed to be some mechanical/macro-level process.

3) Names for new types of fictitious metals. I know I need at least 5, might need as many as 15 or more. Yeah, I know, seems complicated. When actually implementing this stuff, I'll try to keep it sensible. It's not necessary, but it may be useful to keep in mind these are likely to be upgrades from existing metals in the game. This definitely includes upgrades for titanium and plasteel. Probably also includes cybertronium. I think infernium is out, because it's pretty rare to begin with.

** Bonus points (karmically speaking) but no prize for listing any other material that really ought to be included in this spectrum. As noted in #3, infernium is out. Also, newt leather, which is a limited edition item (and hasn't even been implemented), is also out. I'm also going to declare that xentrium and irrhodium are already upgrades done by villains, and don't count as base metals. Am I forgetting anything else? Right now I don't really have leather or even much denim, but those might be things I could add at low levels.

*** Final notes: unless there's a complete lack of participation, or you're simply brilliant and everyone says so, please try to stick to 2-3 process names and your best 5-ish metal names per person. More than that and I'll be reading this stuff for all of June.

Entries due here in the forums by midnight on May 31. Mods and other similar insiders are welcome to participate.

Got one unofficial/joke entry for Vernonite as an upgrade for infernium, which obviously is out of the scope of the bounty, but still a good start. Also makes me think of Asimovium, or perhaps Seldonite, if we want to give a nod to a writer of science fiction.

Screw Elementals. They can just use their sissy magic to temper metals.

For Gadgeteers, I'd like to see something inspired by Supercomputing Skills, where the Gadgeteer can build a(pair of) device(s) to upgrade caffeine, sugar, and metals. I would think the metal upgrader would be some kind of forge, while the caffeine/sugar would be some kind of crazy series of apparatuses (apparatii?), like you would see in cartoon science labs; tons of beakers, Bunsen burners, alembics, retorts, calcinators, and all that fun stuff.

For metals, something needs to make use of the clockwork core to make clockwork clothing. Perhaps clockwork core + robotics kit? More interestingly, by using a process to "improve" metals, it would allow for robotics kit + $metal to make an upgraded metal, as opposed to a robot.

But, if we're just shooting for names, a good high level upgrade name would be "handwavium" (other popular variants: unobtainium, wishalloy, or element 404); pig-iron would work for a low level metal; for reference fun, you could also use illudium.

_________________The churches are empty / The priest has gone home / And we are left standing / Together alone--October Project: "Dark Time"

1) It's pretty lame, but i was thinking of something along the 'Inferno' lines. Dunno what to put with it though!2) For the gadgeteers, Joule heating.3) Tarantulam, Cebresinium, Keschetium, Rynosium, Roostorion.

Can we call the Elementalist Skill 'Temper Tantrum'? You throw a fit and rage against the [metal], throwing the strongest [element] attack you've got, and end up with [new elemental material]. The process leaves you feeling drained and you lose X PP.

Gadgeteer... Dwarven Robot Scourge >.> You build a robot with the knowledge of the ancient dwarves (which used to live under Twilight City) and they alter your base metals into strong metals, and after so many the robot breaks down. Would probably be gained from a sidequest of some sort.

New materials... Hydrite, Electrolite, Pyrite >.> I don't think the other three elements would work, as far as naming goes. Elementalists can't do sonic, acid, or psychic damage, right? >.> But those three would come from the the Elementalist process, and just have the obvious element (strength indicated by the name, making them all different items, i.e., titanium < plasteel < improved titanium < improved plasteel). The Dwarven skill would upgrade metals to a new strength. Titanium could be called... Gigantium. Plasteel... Kevlaristeel? I can't really come up with a good one for that >.> But yeah, Elemental would be for giving it primary elemental attributes, Gadgeteer would be for upgrading strength. In short:

Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:56 pmPosts: 1466Location: Berkeley when at school, San Diego when at home

Ryme wrote:

(Someone keeps telling me that player-designed content is the future, so I'm going to let them prove it.)

It's as good as the players can make it good. Did that person actually mean design as in game design of mechanics? That's a far more interesting proposition than something like Spore, where the player designs stuff out of base mechanics.

2)For gadgeteer: Molecular Mayhem or Molecular Monkeying. If you want to be all old-school about it and make a nod/reference to old sci-fi movies/horror movies call it something like Mad Science 101 or just Mad Science.

Well, I can't belive no one has posted this entry for an awesome metal yet: Malkamite. It can't get much better than that. I also like Randomite and Azerdium.

For the gageteer skill I'd like to see The Density Intensifier(inator). (Bonus points if you get that reference!)

The elementalist skill should be Smelting, or Metal Smelting if you want to be more specific, or Smelting Inferno to give it a more elemental flavor. Also makes me want to get a Smelt Foe combat skill (instead of smite foe.)

Anyway, my 2 chips' worth:Elemental conversion: "Total protonic reversal", which changes some of the protons in the material into anti-protons. Normally, this would cause every molecule in your body to explode at the speed of light, but your elemental skills enable you to mange the process.Or "Quantum Billiards", in which you bounce a subatomic particle around in the crystalline matrix, and cause the atoms to rearrange into new configurations.

Gadgeteer conversion: Helter Smelter and Sole Forge (You can only afford one smelter, and a Sole Forge.)

New materials: Elysium (the opposite of infernium?)Opprobrium (perhaps if you hit with a weapon of opprobrium, it either weakens or enrages your foe?)Byzantium (A very ancient and highly complex material?)Aquarium (How did this fish tank get here?)Adnauseum and tedium (You get tedium by processing 100 chunks of adnauseum)